HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2027 · Effective Oct 1, 2026 to Sep 30, 2027
Fair Market Rent in Alameda County, California (FY 2027)
A two-bedroom in Alameda County carries a FY 2027 Fair Market Rent of $2,805 a month, effective October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. Everything Section 8 pays in Alameda keys off that figure.
Two-bedroom FMR
$2,805
-3.7% from FY 2026
Payment standard
$2,525–$3,086
90% to 110% of the FMR, two-bedroom
Income to afford
$112,200
a year, with rent at 30% of income
Rank in California
13th of 58
by two-bedroom FMR, highest first
FY 2027 Fair Market Rents
Payment standard is the 90% to 110% band a housing authority can set. Income needed puts rent at 30% of gross income, and the hourly wage assumes a 40-hour week.
| Bedrooms | FMR | Payment standard | Income needed | Hourly wage | vs FY 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | $2,088 | $1,879–$2,297 | $83,520 | $40.15/hr | -2.5% |
| 1 bedroom | $2,290 | $2,061–$2,519 | $91,600 | $44.04/hr | -4.0% |
| 2 bedroom | $2,805 | $2,525–$3,086 | $112,200 | $53.94/hr | -3.7% |
| 3 bedroom | $3,592 | $3,233–$3,951 | $143,680 | $69.08/hr | -3.5% |
| 4 bedroom | $4,250 | $3,825–$4,675 | $170,000 | $81.73/hr | -3.7% |
Five to eight bedrooms (PropMetrics estimates)
HUD stops at four bedrooms. These add 15% of the four-bedroom rent per extra bedroom. It's our estimate, not a HUD number.
| Bedrooms | Estimated FMR | Payment standard |
|---|---|---|
| 5 bedroom Estimate | $4,888 | $4,399–$5,377 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $5,525 | $4,973–$6,078 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $6,163 | $5,547–$6,779 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $6,800 | $6,120–$7,480 |
Source: HUD Office of Policy Development and Research, FY 2027 Fair Market Rents. Rents include utilities. huduser.gov
Market check
HUD's number is one input. What does a two-bedroom in Alameda actually rent for?
Search any address in Alameda for a rent estimate built from nearby comps, with the HUD figure right next to it.
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What a voucher pays here
The voucher doesn't pay the FMR itself. It pays the payment standard. Housing authorities set it anywhere from 90% to 110% of FMR, which puts a two-bedroom standard in Alameda somewhere between $2,525 and $3,086. The tenant pays roughly 30% of their income, the voucher covers the rest up to the standard, and the PHA won't approve a rent above what comparable unassisted units get.
$2,805 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $112,200 a year. Put another way, $54 an hour full time.
Worked example for a two-bedroom renting at the payment standard. The tenant pays 30% of monthly income and the voucher covers the rest.
| Monthly household income | Tenant pays (30%) | Voucher pays at 90%$2,525 | Voucher pays at 100%$2,805 | Voucher pays at 110%$3,086 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $1,775 | $2,055 | $2,336 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $1,325 | $1,605 | $1,886 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went down 4% from FY 2026 ($2,912) to FY 2027 ($2,805). Since FY 2020 it's up 25% in total, about 3.3% a year. The California median moved up 2% over the same year.
| Fiscal year | Studio | 1 BR | 2 BR | 3 BR | 4 BR | 2BR change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2020 | $1,488 | $1,808 | $2,239 | $3,042 | $3,720 | — |
| FY 2021 | $1,595 | $1,934 | $2,383 | $3,196 | $3,863 | +6.4% |
| FY 2022 | $1,538 | $1,854 | $2,274 | $3,006 | $3,578 | -4.6% |
| FY 2023 | $1,658 | $1,969 | $2,405 | $3,144 | $3,706 | +5.8% |
| FY 2024 | $1,825 | $2,131 | $2,590 | $3,342 | $3,954 | +7.7% |
| FY 2025 | $1,937 | $2,201 | $2,682 | $3,432 | $4,077 | +3.6% |
| FY 2026 | $2,142 | $2,385 | $2,912 | $3,724 | $4,413 | +8.6% |
| FY 2027In effect | $2,088 | $2,290 | $2,805 | $3,592 | $4,250 | -3.7% |
About this rate
Fair Market Rent is HUD's estimate of what a modest, decent unit rents for in an area, utilities included. It's set once a year and runs October to September. For FY 2027 that's October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. In Alameda, that runs from $2,088 for a studio up to $4,250 for four bedrooms, all five rates in the table above.
This is a metro rate. The county doesn't get one of its own. HUD lumps Alameda in with one other county in the Oakland-Fremont metro, Contra Costa County among them, and every one of them gets $2,805 for a two-bedroom. Where you are inside the metro doesn't change the county number. It does change the ZIP number, covered below.
Among California's 58 counties, Alameda ranks 13th for two-bedroom FMR. That's about 63% above the state median of $1,725 and about 164% above the national median county at $1,063. About 1,649,473 people live here, 7th in the state.
Rates by ZIP code
Zoom in and the picture changes. HUD's Small Area FMRs put a two-bedroom at $2,630 in 94579 (San Leandro) and $3,830 in 94555 (Fremont), with the 63 ZIP codes in between. Housing authorities in HUD-designated metros use those ZIP rates instead of the county rate. Everywhere else the ZIP numbers show where rents actually sit, and the county rate stays the official standard.
| ZIP | City | 2BR rate | vs county |
|---|---|---|---|
| 94501 | Alameda | $3,050 | +8.7% |
| 94502 | Alameda | $3,060 | +9.1% |
| 94536 | Fremont | $3,440 | +22.6% |
| 94537 | Fremont | $2,810 | +0.2% |
| 94538 | Fremont | $3,540 | +26.2% |
| 94539 | Fremont | $3,800 | +35.5% |
| 94540 | Hayward | $2,810 | +0.2% |
| 94541 | Hayward | $2,770 | -1.2% |
| 94542 | Hayward | $3,060 | +9.1% |
| 94543 | Hayward | $2,810 | +0.2% |
| 94544 | Hayward | $2,800 | -0.2% |
| 94545 | Hayward | $2,930 | +4.5% |
| 94546 | Castro Valley | $3,040 | +8.4% |
| 94550 | Livermore | $3,200 | +14.1% |
| 94551 | Livermore | $3,100 | +10.5% |
| 94552 | Castro Valley | $3,520 | +25.5% |
| 94555 | Fremont | $3,830 | +36.5% |
| 94557 | Hayward | $2,810 | +0.2% |
| 94560 | Newark | $3,290 | +17.3% |
| 94566 | Pleasanton | $3,150 | +12.3% |
| 94568 | Dublin | $3,810 | +35.8% |
| 94577 | San Leandro | $2,730 | -2.7% |
| 94578 | San Leandro | $2,670 | -4.8% |
| 94579 | San Leandro | $2,630 | -6.2% |
| 94580 | San Lorenzo | $2,670 | -4.8% |
| 94586 | Sunol | $3,510 | +25.1% |
| 94587 | Union City | $3,070 | +9.4% |
| 94588 | Pleasanton | $3,770 | +34.4% |
| 94601 | Oakland | $2,630 | -6.2% |
| 94602 | Oakland | $2,630 | -6.2% |
| 94603 | Oakland | $2,630 | -6.2% |
| 94604 | Oakland | $2,810 | +0.2% |
| 94605 | Oakland | $2,630 | -6.2% |
| 94606 | Oakland | $2,630 | -6.2% |
| 94607 | Oakland | $2,630 | -6.2% |
| 94608 | Emeryville | $3,270 | +16.6% |
| 94609 | Oakland | $2,890 | +3.0% |
| 94610 | Oakland | $2,910 | +3.7% |
| 94611 | Oakland | $3,000 | +7.0% |
| 94612 | Oakland | $3,030 | +8.0% |
Counties sharing the Oakland-Fremont metro rate
HUD sets one rate for the whole metro, so every county here carries the same $2,805 two-bedroom figure as Alameda.
Nearby counties
Two-bedroom FMR, with how each compares to Alameda.
Contra Costa County
13 mi · 1,165,012 people
$2,805
same rate
San Francisco County
15 mi · 830,235 people
$3,697
+32%
San Mateo County
19 mi · 742,340 people
$3,697
+32%
Marin County
30 mi · 257,969 people
$3,697
+32%
Santa Clara County
33 mi · 1,902,047 people
$3,272
+17%
Solano County
34 mi · 451,918 people
$2,342
-17%
Napa County
49 mi · 134,869 people
$3,375
+20%
San Joaquin County
49 mi · 797,334 people
$2,015
-28%
Questions people ask
$2,805 a month for FY 2027, which runs October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. The other rates are $2,088 for a studio, $2,290 for one bedroom, $3,592 for three and $4,250 for four.
Tools for this county
Fair Market Rent lookup
Any ZIP code's Small Area FMR by bedroom count
Section 8 rent calculator
Payment standard and tenant share for a specific rent
What is Fair Market Rent?
How HUD calculates FMR and what it means for landlords
Rent affordability calculator
The income a household needs for a given rent
What does a rental in Alameda actually go for?
HUD's number is one input. Search any address in Alameda for a rent estimate built from nearby comps. Free to start, no card.
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